An abandoned farmhouse could be knocked down and replaced with houses if developers are finally successful in getting planning permission.

Standing over the B3130 between Chew Magna and Pensford, the derelict buildings of Halfway Farm are a stark contrast to the idyllic Stanton Drew Roundhouse just down the road.

A Mr and Mrs Gibson have - for the fourth time - submitted a planning application to Bath and North East Somerset Council to knock down the old buildings and build houses on the site.

A design and access statement submitted with the application by agent Neil Hiscox stated that the farm buildings have asbestos roofing and are “rapidly deteriorating.” He said: “The farmhouse is in a serious state of neglect and abandonment since it was last occupied and should only be entered with extreme caution.

“The build style and materials used are very much traditional and in keeping with the area but to bring the house into use would require a complete rebuild from the foundations up in order to meet current building regulations.”

Instead, the Gibsons are proposing knocking down the farmhouse and farm buildings and replacing them with five homes on a new cul-de-sac where the abandoned farmyard is currently located.

This is the Gibsons’ fourth attempt to get planning permission after first submitting a planning application in April 2021.

Their previous three applications have been turned down by Bath and North East Somerset Council, with their last attempt in 2022 cited as “inappropriate development within the green belt” by the Council.

But in a planning statement submitted with the current application, Mr Hiscox argued: “Halfway Farm is “within” the greenbelt but is not a green field site. The site consists of a menagerie of redundant farm buildings in varying states or repair and of course the existing dilapidated farmhouse.”

Bath and North East Somerset Council will aim to make a decision on the latest application by August 18.

At the time of writing, eight comments have been left on the online planning application; two in support of the development, five objections and one neutral comment.

One of the objections came from climate action group Transition Bath, who said that the application “is not policy compliant”, since a Sustainable Construction Checklist has not been submitted.

Another objection said “heritage buildings should be restored rather than demolished”, though one member of the public argued that it “seems a good idea to knock down a dangerous eye sore and build five houses”.

You can view the application on the Council’s website. Comments are no longer being accepted.